Co-op Funeralcare vs Simplicity Cremations

Direct cremations have grown rapidly in popularity, rising from just 3% of all UK funerals in 2019 to 21% in 2025*; as families look for a simpler, more affordable alternative to a costly traditional funeral.

A direct cremation is an unattended cremation with no funeral service for mourners to attend, allowing families to say goodbye in their own way, in their own time, often at a fraction of the cost of a traditional funeral.

As that demand has grown, more providers have entered the market, including some of the UK's best-known high street names. Co-op Funeralcare is one of them, and in this review we compare their direct cremation offering against Simplicity Cremations.

It's worth noting that Co-op offers a much wider range of funeral options than Simplicity, including attended Simple, Bronze, Silver and Gold funeral plans. Simplicity, by contrast, offers two simple options: an unattended direct cremation and a simple attended cremation, with a short family-led service at the crematorium.

In this review, we've focused specifically on comparing Co-op's direct cremation funeral plan and direct cremation service against Simplicity's equivalent offering, so you can make a fair, like-for-like comparison.

All of the information below is correct at the time of publishing.

But first, who exactly are Co-op Funeralcare and Simplicity Cremations?

Who are Co-op?

Co-op is one of the UK's best-known consumer brands, best recognised for its network of nearly 2,500 food stores found in towns and villages across the country. It's a consumer co-operative, meaning it's owned by its members rather than shareholders, with several million people holding Co-op membership.

Beyond food retail, the Co-op Group operates a number of other businesses, including Co-op Insurance and Co-op Legal Services.

Co-op Funeralcare is the funeral arm of the group and is the UK's largest funeral director, with over 800 funeral homes across England, Scotland and Wales.

Unlike Simplicity, Co-op Funeralcare offers a full range of funeral options, from its low-cost Direct Cremation Plan through to Simple, Bronze, Silver and Gold plans that include an attended funeral service.

We've compared Co-op's Direct Cremation Plan and direct cremation service against Simplicity, as this is the closest like-for-like comparison to what Simplicity offers.

Who are Simplicity Cremations?

Simplicity Cremations is a national cremation specialist, offering simple, low‑cost funerals without the formality or expense of a traditional service.

They're owned and operated by Dignity Funerals Ltd, one of the UK's largest and longest‑established funeral groups, whose funeral directors' heritage dates back to 1812.

Thanks to their extensive network of 45 owned crematoria across the UK, there's a good chance Simplicity Cremations will have a crematorium local to you.

Simplicity offers direct cremations and simple attended cremations, both as prepaid funeral plans and as 'at-need' services, focusing on transparent pricing, no hidden fees and straightforward arrangements handled online or by phone.

Now let's dig into the detail of how the two leading providers compare.

Co-op vs Simplicity Cremations: Funeral plan costs comparison

How much is Co-op?

Co-op's Direct Cremation Plan costs £1,850.

Co-op offers more payment options than Simplicity. You can pay in full, spread the cost over 6 or 12 months at no extra charge (with a £99 minimum deposit), or pay in instalments over 2 to 5 years (the plan must be paid in full before your 80th birthday), where an instalment charge applies.

As an example, a 2-year instalment plan totals £1,941.80, while a 5-year plan totals £2,108.24.

How much is Simplicity Cremations?

Simplicity's Essential Cremation Plan, a prepaid direct cremation plan, costs £1,800 when paid in full as a single payment.

If you'd prefer to pay in instalments, the total rises to £1,900 over a fixed 24-month term, which includes a £100 instalment fee.

Simplicity also offers the Simple Celebration Plan, which includes a 20-minute family-led service at the crematorium for up to 25 guests. It costs £2,400 when paid in full, or £2,500 over 24 months.

By comparison, Co-op's attended Simple Plan costs £3,145, making Simplicity's attended plan £745 cheaper. Co-op's Simple Plan includes a set £850 contribution towards third-party fees, such as the crematorium fee, so families may have more to pay if these costs are higher when the time comes. Their simple plan also includes a fixed procession route and viewings before the funeral. 

Price comparison summary

At the standard upfront price, Simplicity is £50 cheaper than Co-op (£1,800 vs £1,850), making it the more affordable option for a lump-sum payment. Simplicity is also cheaper when paying over 2 years (£1,900 vs £1,941.80).

However, Simplicity's instalment plan is simpler to compare, with a single, fixed 24-month option available to all adults with no upper age limit. Co-op's longer-term instalment plans (2–5 years) are more flexible but carry an instalment charge that increases the total cost the longer you spread payments, and are only available up to age 80.

As always, price shouldn't be the only factor. What's included, customer service, and the provider's reach can matter just as much when choosing a funeral plan.

Co-op vs Simplicity Cremations: What's included in a direct cremation funeral plan?

Both providers' direct cremation plans cover the essentials of an unattended cremation, but there are some meaningful differences in the detail.

**We have displayed Simplicity’s and Co-op’s 24 month instalment plan to present a like for like comparison, however please note Co-op also offer a 1 and 5 year option.

The takeaway

Both plans are built around the same core idea: a dignified, no-fuss cremation without the cost of an attended service.

Simplicity's plan is a little cheaper upfront. Co-op's includes a coffin with gold-effect handles as standard, while Simplicity offers the option to have ashes hand-delivered to your home, something Co-op's Direct Cremation Plan doesn't provide, as ashes must be collected or scattered. Simplicity's plan also lets you choose one of our crematoriums, and there's no cancellation fee.

Co-op vs Simplicity Cremations: Buy online

Both Simplicity Cremations and Co-op offer a buy online facility for their respective prepaid funeral plans, allowing you to research, compare and purchase in your own time, without needing to speak to anyone.

Where the two differ is at the point of need. Co-op allow you to buy an at-need direct cremation online, as well as a prepaid plan. Simplicity, on the other hand, only offer their prepaid funeral plans online - if you need to arrange an at-need cremation, you'll need to call their team directly.

If you're planning ahead and want to understand more about how buying a funeral plan online works, what to look out for, and whether it's the right choice for you, our dedicated guide on how to buy a funeral plan online covers everything you need to know.

Co-op vs Simplicity Cremations: Direct cremation costs

If a loved one has passed away and there's no prepaid funeral plan in place, both Simplicity and Co-op offer an at-need direct cremation service.

Co-op's direct cremation costs £1,495 (England, Wales and Scotland), which Co-op advertises as an all-inclusive price with no hidden costs.

Simplicity's direct cremation costs from £1,399, making it £96 cheaper at the point of need.

If you'd like to be there, Simplicity also offers a simple attended cremation for £1,849, with a 20-minute family-led service at the crematorium for up to 25 guests. Services take place before 10am or after 4:30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Co-op vs Simplicity Cremations: Customer rating reviews

Co-op Cremations reviews (Trustpilot)

Co-op Funeralcare has over 6,100 Trustpilot reviews, with an "Excellent" 4.7 / 5 overall rating (September 2026).

It's important to note that Co-op's Funeralcare Trustpilot profile covers feedback for all of their services, not just direct cremation, including their attended Simple, Bronze, Silver and Gold plans. This gives Co-op a much larger and longer-established review base, reflecting their position as the UK's largest funeral director.

Simplicity Cremations reviews (Trustpilot)

Simplicity Cremations has around 738 Trustpilot reviews, with an "Excellent" 4.8 / 5 overall rating (September 2026).

It's worth noting that Simplicity only began using Trustpilot in 2026, having previously collected customer feedback through Feefo. Their Trustpilot presence is therefore newer, but the feedback to date has been consistently positive.

Customer rating reviews summary

Both providers are rated "Excellent" on Trustpilot, with Simplicity's 4.8 / 5 slightly ahead of Co-op's 4.7 / 5. Co-op's review volume is significantly larger, which isn't surprising given their scale and the fact that their rating reflects feedback across their entire funeral business, not just direct cremation customers.

Crematorium network

Simplicity Cremations has access to an extensive, fully owned network of 45 crematoria across the UK, operated by its parent company, Dignity Funerals Ltd. This gives Simplicity direct control over standards and operations, and allows most cremations to be carried out locally.

Co-op, by contrast, sold its own crematoria and now uses a wider network of approximately 40 crematoria across the UK to carry out cremations for its customers.

While this still gives Co-op broad geographic coverage, it means Co-op relies on third-party crematoria to deliver its direct cremation service, rather than operating its own facilities end-to-end in the way Simplicity does.

Simplicity Cremations vs Co-op: Cancellation & cooling‑off periods

As FCA‑regulated funeral plan providers, both Simplicity Cremations and Co-op offer a statutory cooling-off period during which customers can cancel their plan and receive a full refund. After this period, Co-op charge a cancellation fee, while Simplicity don't.

Co-op cancellation & cooling-off period

• Cooling-off period: 30 days for plans paid in full or over 6 or 12 months; 12 months for instalment plans paid over 2 to 5 years
• After the cooling-off period: a £125 cancellation fee applies
• If you miss 3 payments in a row, Co-op may cancel your plan and refund what you've paid, minus the £125 fee (on 2 to 5-year plans, the fee applies if the plan is cancelled after 12 months)
• If you die before your plan is paid off on a 6 or 12-month plan, the balance must be paid before the funeral, or the plan can be cancelled and payments returned. On 2 to 5-year plans, you're covered after 12 months, or from the start for an accidental death, as long as payments are up to date

Simplicity Cremations cancellation & cooling-off period

• You can cancel at any time, without giving a reason
• There's no cancellation fee at any time, so you'll get back everything you've paid
• For plans paid over 24 month instalments, if you miss two monthly payments, Simplicity reserve the right to cancel your plan if payments aren't brought up to date within 10 business days. If the plan is cancelled, you'll get back everything you've paid. 
• If you die within 24 months of buying a plan paid by instalments, the balance must be paid before the funeral or the plan can be cancelled and payments returned. If the death is accidental (please see T&Cs, exclusions apply) and payments are up to date, there will be nothing more to pay and we will provide the funeral detailed on your plan. 

Cancellation & cooling-off summary

Simplicity doesn't charge a cancellation fee, while Co-op charge £125 if you cancel outside the cooling-off period. This gives Simplicity customers a penalty-free exit whenever they need it.

Summary review

Co-op Funeralcare and Simplicity Cremations take a different approach to direct cremation. Simplicity are a specialist, offering simple cremations – unattended or with a short family-led service – backed by a large, fully owned crematorium network of 45 sites.

Co-op is a much broader business, best known for its food stores, and offers direct cremation as one option within a wider range of funeral plans, delivered through a network of around 40 partner crematoria.

On price, Simplicity is currently the cheaper option for both a direct cremation funeral plan and an at-need direct cremation. Simplicity also doesn't charge a cancellation fee, while Co-op charge £125.

Both providers are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) can also offer additional protection to eligible customers whose providers have failed to meet their obligations. Both hold "Excellent" ratings on Trustpilot, with Simplicity slightly ahead at 4.8 / 5 versus Co-op's 4.7 / 5.

Ultimately, the right choice will depend on what matters most to you: Simplicity's specialism, owned crematorium network and no cancellation fee, or Co-op's familiarity and wider range of funeral options.

We hope this comprehensive Simplicity Cremations vs Co-op review helps you make an informed decision on which provider best meets your needs.

Sources:

*https://www.sunlife.co.uk/siteassets/ documents/cost-of-dying/ sunlife-cost-of-dying-report-2026.pdf

https://www.coop.co.uk/funeralcare/ funeral-services/direct-cremation

https://www.coop.co.uk/funeralcare/ funeral-plans/direct-cremation-plan

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/coop.co.uk/ funeralcare

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/ www.simplicity.co.uk